Time
by Bee-kun
Summary: There are times when you think you know somebody, but it turns out you might not know them after all. Hermione, a timeturner, an accident, and a little Draco.
1. Aboard the Hogwarts Express

Certain tastes can go in and out of fashion with every shift of the second hand; opinions can fly in an out of the mind in less time than it takes you to blink. But of one thing I would always be sure, and that was that I, Hermione Jean Granger, absolutely positively loathed the boy they all so reverently called Draco Malfoy.

So why had I spent all morning thinking about him?

"Uh, Hermione…" said Ron, indignant. "Are you planning on going to school at all this year? 'Cause the train is about to leave if you don't board sometime this week."

The reverie ended abruptly as I climbed the stairs to the Hogwarts Express, glaring at Harry, who was laughing, and Ron, who lugging the suitcases in behind us. Nearly all the seats were taken, except for the one in the back, which caught all the worse bumps and in all the wrong places, and the seat in the very front that usually smelled like bad eggs. We took the back one.

"So what were you thinking about anyway, Hermione?" asked Harry as we settled into our places. "You looked like you were really into it."

An involuntary flush crept up my cheeks.

"That embarrassing, huh?"

"No! It's just…."

I trailed off, unsure myself of what I had been thinking about. Well, of course, it _had_ been Malfoy, but what about him? Was his sudden disheartened demeanor? Or was it the way he had walked straight past us without throwing even one insult?

Or was it the way he kept staring at me? Across from us I could see him, pouring over our compartment with his eyes. I flared up at once and pressed myself into the seat, a position in which I was sure I'd be safe.

Unfortunately the boys had noticed. "What's up with you _now_?" said Ron, somewhat exasperatedly. I blushed even further for reasons unexplainable even to myself. After a lengthy, calculating stare, Ron shook his head and turned his attention to other matters.

"Anyway….Harry. Did you do that essay for McGonagall? It took me three hours and I still haven't got enough words! Mind if I look off yours?"

As Harry and Ron became enraptured in their homework, I chanced a glance across the train.

Draco had closed the curtain.

**My apologies for the shortness. I always have that problem with extra-tiny chapters in the beginning, but I guess I'll get over it eventually XD. There's not much to Review at the moment so I won't even bother. Just stick around for Chapter Two, and will not disappoint you! **

-LxTmidnight


	2. The Mishap in Potions

**Um, very sorry for the long delay ; ….. I kinda forgot that I even posted this fic, until I was flipping through my notebooks….**

The first day of classes passed by normally, which in itself was out of the ordinary. More specifically, it passed by with no problems from Malfoy.

"Awfully quiet this year, isn't he?" Ron scoffed as Draco Malfoy passed us by, without so much as a backward glance. I followed Malfoy with my eyes but didn't say anything. Ron was right; he _had_ been rather quiet this term…I know, school had only started a day ago, but this was _Draco Malfoy _we were talking about…the loud-mouthed bully who had done all in his power to wreck Harry's previous school years, the braggart who never failed to put others down…if you could believe it, he was exactly like one of those spoiled rich-kid characters, straight from a dollar store novel. Well, he _used_ to be. To see him like this was unnerving, to the point where I almost wanted him to glare at us, throw an insult, do _something_.

Not that Malfoy's problems were really any of my concern.

Ron and Harry had now launched into a discussion of Quidditch, or something; for a second I marveled at their ability to change topics so very quickly.

We continued the familiar path to our last class of the day--potions. And I stopped thinking about Malfoy at once and began to focus on school. No one has ever known this, but "Preparing Yourself Mentally" is one of my strategies for faultless performance. It puts you in the state of mind for learning, so you're perfectly ready to tackle the next class at hand. With the proper mindset…

"Hermione!"

Harry glanced at me pointedly as we approached the classroom, where Snape lurked in the shadow of the threshold. His eyes narrowed as we stepped in, but otherwise did not acknowledge our arrival.

The classroom was filling gradually, but our favorite seats--the seats that were as far as Snape as we could possibly get--remained untouched. As we took them I realized to my horror that in the seat directly across from me was none other than Draco Malfoy.

I buried my eyes in my Potions book, but I turned an inconspicuous ear to the chatter.

To his left Pansy Parkinson and Blaize Zabini seemed to be trying to engage him in conversation, and Crabbe and Goyle looked on from the table behind, but Malfoy seemed generally disinterested. This I could scarcely believe.

"Well why don't you just owl them?" Blaize was saying furtively. "It's unlikely that they'll ignore it." Malfoy seemed to consider this suggestion (to what I had no idea), while Pansy said with folded arms, "I was going to say that but no one would listen to me."

The bell rang, and Professor Snape swept into the classroom. I straightened as a hush stole through the room. Without a "Welcome Back!" or "Good Afternoon, Class!" or even a "Let's Get Started" he said above a whisper, "Page 213, the Calming drought. By the end of class I will have a sample here on m desk. I want silence."

Beside me, Ron pulled a Look, but no one in the room dared to complain. As Professor Snape listed the ingredients and steps I copied them down in my own notebook eagerly…how I'd missed school! Both Harry and Ron shook their heads in exasperation, but of course I didn't care. I'd be the one with the perfect sample in the end.

I got up to retrieve the ingredients, and went straight to work, slicing, chopping, peeling, stirring. Ron and Harry kept throwing me side-glances, trying to imitate my work, but the Calming drought was a fast brew, and in less than half the class time I had finished.

Snape loomed in between the tables, checking our progress--when he was within view I pretended to give the potion an extra stir, but as long as he was out of sight, I could listen in on Malfoy's table. Not that eavesdropping is something I generally participate in, but haven't you ever had a nagging, fervent desire to figure something out? There had to be a way to find out what was going on with Malfoy, and this was a step in the right direction.

Well, it would've been, if they were actually talking.

There was no noise in the entire room, other than the frantic clang of cauldrons as students rushed to finish their potions. Curiosity soon got the better of me, and I couldn't contain myself any longer: I turned around, only to meet him full on.

There he was, staring back at me, and I watched his eyes. I held back a gasp--through them, I could see everything; they were absolutely torn. They shimmered like silver, brighter than ever, glimmering with pain, with fear, with despair…as he narrowed then in my direction I could feel them, piercing my heart like a thorn, and as the seconds raged on, it was driven in, deeper and deeper…

Finally it was too much. I tore away, trying to pretend I hadn't seen, but my chest was heaving, my face slightly flushed. I felt like I had witnessed something private, yet…. when I looked out of the corner of my eye I saw he was back at work, just now slipping his first ingredient into his cauldron.

Ron bent his head low, trying to hide himself between the empty glass vials. "Hermione, is something up?" he hissed, eyes scanning the room for Snape. Unfortunately, Professor Snape was standing directly above him, glaring down with intense distaste.

"Mister Weasley," he said threateningly, as all heads in the room turned to the scene. With a unobtrusive glance across tables I noted that Malfoy hadn't even looked up--usually, his favorite entertainment involved Snape, and punishment for one of us. "I believe you heard me when I said absolutely no talking?"

Ron began to nod, but then stopped short, unsure of how to respond.

"Ten points will be taken from Gryffindor," he spat. "And perhaps I should make myself clearer--there is to be no talking for the remainder of the class period. Am I understood?"

The class nodded collectively, and Snape swept out of view.

My thoughts strayed subconsciously to Malfoy…perhaps he had been, like most people around me, trying to pick up some potion tips by watching me. But why had he held my gaze for so long? What was so wrong with him, anyway, to drive him to such a state? New questions claimed stakes in my mind…had something happened at home? And what was this talk of "owling 'them'"?

With a shock, I realized that I had spent me whole day pondering over Draco Malfoy…my mind suddenly switched gears. What's wrong with him? I thought to myself frantically, What's wrong with me?! I shouldn't be caring…I don't hate him!

Everyone was looking at me, each with a varying expression. Some were surprised, some were frightened, others were shaking with laughter.

One was ripe with fury.

"Miss Granger," said Snape in a deadly tone.

At last it all registered…had I actually said those things out loud?

"I have had enough. Detention, and twenty points from Gryffindor!"

**Ok, so I lied to everyone. This chapter is hardly any longer than the previous --**

**Chapter 3 coming soon!!**


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